Learning about Influenza for Grade 4 students: Influenza outbreak by Jaimie Shearing

Introduction

Throughout this activity for learning, you will be extend on your knowedge of a communicable disease; influenza (flu), in which you will learn specific information concerning the disease and apply that information to a hypothetical situation.

Questions:

  • What is Inluenza (flu); and
  • how do we get infected?

Think of this activity as a a zombie apocalypse, but rather, people are infected with the flu.

BRACE YOURSELVES

picture of australia

Setting the scene:

Imagine you wake up one morning and everyone around you is infected with influenza; your family, your neighbours, your friends, you cant escape it.

Your job is to get somewhere safe without getting yourself infected and to find a way to cure those who are infected.

This activity helps you develop your knowledge and understanding surrounding influenza in a way that is actively engaging and throught provoking. It provides the opportunity for you to be critical in your thinking and to be able to apply those skills in order to make a difference in a hypothetical situation.

Let's get started.

Task

Achievement of overall learning will occur through;

  • Ciritcal and creative thinking
  • problem solving
  • designing of a plan of action
  • cooperative learning
  • creative thinking

The end result for your learning will be the product of a hypothetical action plan for saving humanity. In the plan, the following information will be evident;

  • what influenza is and how people are infected
  • what are the signs and symptoms
  • what cures/treatments are available; and
  • how to best avoid getting sick

you will engage in a scenario that provides you with the opportunity to apply your critical and problem solving skills in order to achieve your learning and the development of knowledge and understanding surounding Influenza.

Suggested resources for students:

  • Better health channel (Influenza)
  • Flu Smart Australia
  • centres for diease control and prevention

 

 

 

Process

Scenario:

Imagine you wake up one morning and everyone around you is infected with influenza; your family, your neighbours, your friends, you cant escape it.

Your job is to get somewhere safe without getting yourself infected and to find a way to cure those who are infected.

Where will you go? what supplies will you need to gather? How will you cure the others? will you save people along the way? why, why not?

  • where to escape?
  • how to avoid getting infected?
  • how to identify influenza?
  • how to cure influenza?

you will be placed into groups of four, you will devise a plan  of action in order to save humanity from the outbreak of influenza.

Your plans will outline places for safety, places to avoid, why and how people get infected, items you will need to survive on, cures/treatments and any other information you feel is relevant to this activity.

Basically, this is a plan of action for the influenza apolalypse.

Evaluation

Your learning will be graded upon the following aspects of both group and individual work:

  • the ability to work cooperatively and effectively with others
  • the ability to contribute ideas
  • the use of a range of skills; creative and critical thinking, problem solving, ICT, communication.  
  • the level of knowledge and understanding interpreted through the end product; extensive information surrounding Influenza (flu) shown throughout their action plan

Conclusion

upon completion of this unit of learning, students will have a sound understanding of;

  • what influenza is
  • what causes influenza
  • how to protect yourself from influenza; and
  • how to treat influenza

The purpose of this activity is for students to develop the knowledge and understanding of what information surrounding influenza; it provides students the opportunity to learn in a way that is inquiry based and active.

Credits